Guest Post: 6 Tricks to Beat Seasickness

November 12, 2012 1 Comment

When Rob first contacted me a month or so ago about submitting a guest post, I braced myself for the inevitable pitch about how he was a blogger willing to give me ‘free content’ in which he’d hide a few links. The content, like so many of the SEO hunters in guest blogger disguise send my way, would be a poorly written mess – I thought.

So you can imagine my surprise when the article was not only good, but the guy behind it was fun to chat to as well. When he’s not writing about writing over at Rob D Young, he’s publishing novels (check out Broken Glass on Amazon), and gaming with the nerdiest of us. Read on about his tips for beating seasickness!

Six Tricks to Beat Seasickness

the ferry to mull

I just got off a ferry to Mull, an island off the west coast of Scotland. Ferry travel has become one of my favorite ways to get around. When I bought my first ferry ticket (from Belfast to Glasgow), I was expecting to be transported on some sort of industrial boat, meant more for cars than for people—or at least an overcrowded ferry like the one Chris describes in his Disney Resort adventure. What I got was far closer to a luxury cruise line.

However, seasickness can make boat travel uncomfortable for some travelers. So, on today’s voyage and on my ferry to Glasgow, I asked the ferry crew members to give me their best advice for someone who’s experiencing seasickness. Here’s what they said.

1. Eat or drink some ginger.

ginger root
Image courtesy of Fotopedia

Almost every member of the crew started with the same advice: “Ginger.” No, they weren’t just making fun of my hair color. They were giving the most tried and tested advice that their life on the seas had taught them. It can be ginger tea, ginger ale, candied ginger, or even just ginger snaps, but in any case, the crew swore by the stomach-calming effects of ginger-based food and drink.

2. Stay at the center of the boat.

lounge at the center of the boat

For many people, seasickness is caused by the tossing and turning of the boat (which, in turn, tosses and turns the contents of your stomach). However, that ship-tossing isn’t equal at all areas of the ship. The center of the boat is more “balanced out” by the structure of the ship and less prone to shift due to encounters with the current. As such, staying toward the middle of the boat will reduce the risk of seasickness for many travelers.

3. Eat a moderate meal a couple hours before departure.

Mariners cafe

Your stomach is far more prone to twist uncomfortably if you’ve eaten too much, too little, or too recently. Giving your body a decent meal and some time to digest it (two hours was the number one crew member gave me) can help. If you do end up on a boat with an empty stomach, you can usually buy a meal—but eat slowly, avoid having too many liquids, and don’t order a hard-to-digest meal.

4. Keep your eyes on the horizon.

horizon line
Image courtesy of flickr by jikatu

If you take a European cruise or otherwise head into more open waters, you may experience another cause of sea-sickness: disorientation. When you’re surrounded by endless waves without a single scrap of land in sight, the effect can be dizzying. On long journeys such as these, the surest way to stop the dizziness is to find the horizon and key your eyes locked on that line where sea meets sky.

5. Get some fresh air. Or don’t.

fresh air on a ferry's deck

When I approached a pair of crew members and asked them for their solutions, one told me that they feel better when they step out onto the deck and take deep breaths of the fresh ocean air. The other quickly noted that they feel more sick in the open air. Depending on who you are, the deck may be the perfect or the worst place to deal with your discomfort. Try it out once; in a worse case scenario, you can always lean over the railing when your stomach starts its tsunami.

6. Use medical solutions.

a stack of medications

In this brave new world we live in, there’s a pill for just about everything. Seasickness is no exception. While you can use an over the counter motion sickness medication, the most effective solutions tend to be prescription. Additionally, most of these pills must be taken several hours before departure, but they can work wonders. Some people experience drowsiness, indigestion, or other physical discomfort when on these medications, so you may want to give your pill a test run before your official trip.

Another medical solution that I’m wary about suggesting is a sea-sickness bracelet. This holistic contraption is based on magnetic fields, and while several crew members suggested it, none of them actually used one or even knew how the bracelet was supposed to work. If you’re looking for a naturalist remedy, though, you can find these bracelets at gift shops aboard many cruise and ferry lines.

Seasickness is a definite hurdle for some, but with these six tactics you can minimize the risk and, in many cases, avoid discomfort altogether. Even if your trip makes you a bit queasy, try to look on the bright side. Over-water travel is beautiful; a ship is far less cramped than a bus, train, or plane; and even if you’re miserable, you can tell you’re friends that you’re on a boat.

About the Author

Rob is a world-wandering author and poet who blogs about his travels and the writing craft. Check out his website for updates, photos, travel tips, writing games and exercises, and other uber-nifty™ travel and writer-oriented content.

Asia, Malaysia

Malaysian Food: A Fusion of Fantastic Flavors

November 7, 2012 9 Comments

Malaysia may draw tourists for its stunning beaches, world class scuba diving, shopping, stunning natural scenes, and lovable monkeys – but it’s Malaysian food that really draws me to the country.

Malaysian food is a dizzying blend of Asia’s finest traditions that oftentimes surpasses the dishes that inspired it. The curries of India, fragrant rice of Thailand, noodles of China, and barbecued meat that is a signature of South Korea all blend together in a mouth-watering orgy of taste.

First and foremost among these in my eyes is laksa, a curry so rich in flavours that it really does defy description. Thin rice noodles in a slightly sweet coconut curry sauce act as a base into which meat or seafood are added along with cilantro and a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s a far more subtle experience than an Indian curry, and every bit as flavorful as the more famous Thai curries.

Chili Pan Mee is something for those who like their food a little spicy. Thick noodles with a mix of minced pork, green onion, and garlic are all soaked in the flaky chili sauce that is one of Malaysia’s most famous exports. If you like your meals eye-wateringly spicy, then this is one for you.

A carnivore? Malaysian food is famous for its satay: a tangy, slightly sweet peanut sauce atop chicken or beef is a popular street food in Malaysia. Similar to the chicken or beef on a stick you’ll find in any Korean street late at night, satay should be a fast favourite with any visitor.

Nasi Kandar is something that offers a dining experience that needs to be seen to be believed. A bowl of plain rice, a selection of curry sauces, and a whole slew of side dishes are presented and it’s up to each individual to design their own meal. Sometimes eaten bare-handed, this is a meal you won’t soon forget!

But I hope you’ve saved room for dessert! Ice Kachang is a dessert similar to Korean pot binsu, Shaved ice is served up with a liberal drizzle of flavored syrup and a few toppings that can include red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly, and aloe vera. The whole lot is then further sweetened with evaporated or condensed milk or some other sweet treat.

So, while you may go to Malaysia to explore cities such as Kuala Lumpur or Georgetown, soak in the sun on one of its many beautiful beaches, or get your photo taken with a friendly orangutan – it may well be that it is Malaysian food that you’re remembering most fondly when you return home.

This article was originally written (by me) for a Korean audience at Travel Wire Asia. You can read the Korean translation at: 말레이시아가 선보이는 환상적인 퓨전의 맛

Your Say

Which country do you think has the best cuisine in the world? Do you share my love of Malaysian food? Or do you prefer something else?

Australia, Life on the Road, Relationships, United States

Lost in Translation: Differences Between Aussie English & American English

November 6, 2012 7 Comments

As an English teacher and a habitual dater of American girls, I sometimes forget that there are many (often amusing) differences between the way those who learn English in Australia and those who learn English in the USA speak. It’s more than just the horrendous misspellings of aluminium or the way the letter ‘h’ is so coolly ignored at the start of the word ‘herb’, too.

I’m ashamed to say, my Aussie accent has slowly made way for an American one after constant exposure to pretty American girls and the general demand abroad for students to learn American English rather than the so pompously named ‘Queen’s English’. Hell, I don’t even spell ~~color~~ colour right any more! If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been accused of being a nationality other than Australian, I could probably afford two Subway meals right about now.

So, what are these differences? I’ve highlighted the five that tickle, confuse, or infuriate me the most.

Pronunciation

It’s no secret that any nation is going to have quirks and tones that make their accent sound unique. We pronounce ‘Aussie’ with a ‘z’ sound, while Americans tend to say it more like ‘Ossie’. Our ‘can’t’ sounds suspiciously like a nasty swear word, while America’s sounds like ‘can’ with a ‘t’ on the end.

There’s the aforementioned silent ‘h’ on ‘herb’ and the way ‘albino’ is said ‘albeeno’ in Australia, but ‘Al-buy-no’ in the US of A. Forehead vs. for-ed, aluminum vs. aluminium, and Coasta Rica vs. Cost-a Rica further muddy the waters.

Do these ones bother me? Not at all! Although if another American corrects my pronunciation of an English word, there may just be hell to pay.

Differences in Vernacular

Let’s be honest, pronunciation doesn’t cause a great deal of confusion when an Aussie (or Kiwi or Pom) bumps into an American. But some of the differences in our language certainly do.

None amuse and shock more than the use of the word ‘thong’ – a relatively harmless bit of footwear (flip flop) in Australia, but a much racier (and almost exclusively female) bit of attire in the United States. It still makes me chuckle every time I walk into a room asking if anybody’s seen my thongs and have a group of Americans alternate between shock and amusement.

I’ve highlighted a few others below:

Cookie (US) vs. Biscuit (Australia)
Trash/Garbage vs. Rubbish
Bathroom/Restroom vs. Toilet
Soda/Pop vs. Fizzy Drink/Soft Drink
Liquor vs. Spirits
Bar vs. Pub
Cuss vs. Swear
Ass vs. Arse
Candy vs. Lollies
Sweater/Hoodie vs. Jumper
Root (to cheer) vs. root (to fuck)
Chicken Sandwich/Fish Sandwich vs. Chicken Burger/Fish Burger
Rubber (Condom) vs. Rubber (Eraser)
Marker vs. Texta

The list is pretty much inexhaustible, but I’d love to hear any from you that I might have forgotten.

Aussie Lingo

While we ostensibly speak the same tongue, we’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge that there are some pretty big differences between Aussie English and that of America. Heck, you could argue that American English varies quite considerably in both pronunciation and content based on which part of the country you’re in. Thankfully, the differences from state to state aren’t so extreme in Australia.

I’ve compiled a pretty exhaustive list of Aussie slang you can take a look at, but suffice to say – there’s a helluva lot of odd words and expressions in Australian English that just don’t adequately translate into American English. And thanks to our exposure to American media through television, film, and movies – we Aussies are usually a bit more savvy when it comes to understanding our neighbors from across the Pacific/Indian (depending on which way you do it.

What’s Appropriate

Another big difference between the way Australians and Americans use the language is in what can and cannot be said. Both countries do enjoy relatively similar cultures, but where America is perhaps one of the world’s more politically correct nations – Australia still languishes behind with a much more irreverant view of things.

Whether or not this is a good thing is open to debate, but where dropping the C-Bomb (c***) is relatively commonplace among friends in Australia, it will draw you looks of horror or scandalized outrage if uttered in the company of many Americans. I’ve even had groups of drunken guys stop in shock when I’ve dropped a few choice swear words.

There’s also an often inappropriate view towards sexism, racism, and religion in Australia. For better or worse, very little is sacred. So while the average Aussie will probably flinch away from the ‘N-Word’, they won’t blanch at the prospect of telling a racist joke or muttering some choice words about the smell of the Indian bloke in front of them in line.

Abbreviations

Australian English is one littered with abbreviations. Arvo instead of afternoon, brekkie instead of breakfast, sanger instead of sandwich… the list goes on. We’re a lazy people except when it comes to giving our mates nicknames – in which case we typically extend the first name or surname by adding an ‘o’ or a ‘y’ at its end. I never said we were imaginative!

I, for example, typically become Bushy on Australian soil. My brother Dominik becomes ‘Dombo’. Truth be told, I much prefer my nicknames of CWB, Quib, New Age Man, or Richard to the rather dull ones I’ve drawn in my time on Aussie soil.

And More!

I’m no expert in linguistics, so I’m sure I’ve barely scraped the surface in my brief analysis. But I’d be fascinated to learn about any other differences you find between Aussie and American English.

Share your own experiences with communication and miscommunication between the men (and women) from the land down-under and the Yanks I’ve come to love so much.

China, Epic Adventures in Asia, Life on the Road, Nanjing, Travel Writing

The Great McDonalds Delivery Debacle

October 30, 2012 24 Comments

We now interrupt your regularly scheduled programming…

It’s not all heart-break, high adventure, and orgies of awesomeness in my life. While I do still have a few entries to share from my summer tour of the United States and there’s some tales to tell after my recent visit to Changzhou; sometimes my life is little more than staying in bed, watching reruns of Game of Thrones, and indulging in a little home delivered McDonalds.

I’m reluctant to tack the word ‘goodness’ on the end there because, well, McDonalds may just be the Devil.

Home delivered?

You read that right. Both China and South Korea have taken sloth and indulgence to new levels by having the world’s greatest purveyor of greasy goodies deliver heart-attack inducing treats to your door with little more than a phone call.

And while South Korea (at least when I lived there) required you to speak enough Korean to place your order and provide your address, China has a handy little 24 hour English hotline that is accessed simply by pressing #2 when prompted. Pretty nifty!

Just like home

You’ll be relieved (or horrified) to know that McDonalds is pretty much the same the world over. McDonalds has fantastic quality control and that translates into getting a similarly good (or bad, depending on your tastes) serve of fries, Big Mac, or McFlurry wherever in the world you go.

McOz Burger, McDonalds — The awe-inspiring McOz complete with beetroot.

Most countries have made small edits to the menu such as the not-particularly-good Bulgogi Burger in Korea or the beetrot blessed McOz in Australia, but the menu is otherwise fairly recognizable.

Except, for some reason, Asia refuses to recognize the greatness of the Quarter Pounder. It’s not available in South Korea or China.

EDIT: A number of my readers back in South Korea have informed me that Korea recognized the greatness sometime between 2009-2010. You can even get the delicious Double Quarter Pounder now.

You don’t travel halfway around the world to eat the same junk you ate drunk at 3am back home, but the golden arches of McDonalds are a welcome little slice of home when you’re far away. It’s by no means a regular part of any foreigner’s diet while abroad (or I should hope it isn’t), but you’d be hard pressed to find somebody who hasn’t indulged in a sneaky burger or some McNuggets when homesickness gets a wee bit too much to ignore.

The Debacle

Since Nomadic American’s arrival in the country, a bit of sneaky late night McFlurry action has become a somewhat worrying fixture in our weekly diet. While we get out and try local food when we can, there has been the occasional evening where a Strawberry Orea McFlurry is a prospect too good to refuse.

Last night was one of those nights.

Despite the coming of winter and the cool in the air, we found ourselves huddled under a blanket in Heather’s Jiangning apartment wishing there was something to eat aside from snack food purchased from the convenience story under her apartment. With memories of our 4.30pm wanton soup dinner (what were we thinking?) distant, we decided to see if we could get McDonalds delivered to her place.

It had been easy enough to get food at my apartment in the past. The twenty or so foreign teachers who work here have ordered from McDonalds so often that they know our address before we’ve even finished rattling it off.

“Oh, the college? Okay. It’ll be there in ten minutes”.

But how to order when we didn’t even know Heather’s address? A bit of Google maps, a bit of trawling through old emails, and a lot of help from a wonderful McDonalds employee seemed to be the order of the day.

Until we realized that they’d sent our order to the old campus and not the new one. So call #2 was made.

Her: You want to change the order?

Me: No. I need to give you the right address

Her: We have already sent your order

Me: But we won’t be there

Her: You’re not at the college?

Me: We are, but there are two campuses

Her: 什么? (Chinese for ‘what’)

Me: The address is…

What followed was ten frustrating minutes of trying to first say and then spell the address I’d found on Google maps. When that didn’t work, the employee had a novel suggestion.

Her: Can you text it to me?

Me: Huh?

Her: Use your cell phone and send a message.

I was game if she was. The text went out and she called me back.

Her: You want your order to this address?

Me: Yes, please

Her: Not the other address in Baixu?

Me: No. That is a different school

Her: So you aren’t at the college?

Me: We are. They are different addresses. If you can cancel our old order and send it to this address instead, that’d be great.

Her: The order with two McFlurries?

Me: Yes. That’s the one.

Success! Half an hour later there was a timid knock on the door. Heather gave a cry of surprise and I hurried to tug on something more company appropriate than my Mickey Mouse boxers, and there he stood…

…with only 1/3 of our order. And no spoons for the fucking McFlurries he had remembered to bring. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wait a minute,” the kid apologized, “I will go back and get the spoons”.

“We ordered more,” I said with an easy grin.

He pointed to the receipt that showed we had only ordered a pair of McFlurries. Not to be deterred (and aware he was going back to pick up a pair of plastic spoons anyway) I quickly pointed to the missing items on the glossy menu he had with him and placed the rest of our order.

“Okay,” he said, “Please go inside. I will return soon”.

And return he did. He might have brought me the wrong burger and the wrong drink, but ninety minutes after we’d started the process – I wasn’t going to complain.

Meanwhile, Heather’s phone began to ring as the original delivery driver tried to get us to collect our order. When my attempts at explaining in my God-awful Chinese didn’t get the job done, he called a half-dozen more times before we finally got a text message.

Your McDonalds is outside. Please collect it.

Heather hastily informed them that we had already received our order and there had been a mix-up. The reply came:

I am McDonalds employee. The driver waited but he has come home now. I am sorry.

Even in defeat, their customer service was the bees knees. In Australia, we’d have been turned away the moment the operator heard a language other than English. Here we had a hotline, we had delivery drivers and operators texting us in English, and we had a driver prepared to trek back to the store simply to pick up some spoons.

An adventure was had.

McDonalds was eaten.

Episodes of Game of Thrones were watched.

And, most importantly, they’d have the address on file should we ever get the urge to assault our waist-lines again.

Lotteria European Frico Cheese — Alone at last! Sharing a tender moment with the sinfully good European Frico Cheeseburger from Lotteria, a South Korean/Japanese fast food chain.

Your Say

Have you had any fun experiences with fast food abroad? Found any delectable local delights or charming knock-offs? My stomach would love to hear all about the experience.

California, Los Angeles, United States

The Search for the Best Beach in LA

October 26, 2012 6 Comments

The Search for the Best Beach in LA

Being an Australian and having grown up spending most of my summers on the beach has made me something of a beach snob, so when I travel I often find myself a little underwhelmed by the beaches I come across.

That’s not to say I haven’t been able to find the beauty in a ‘less than Australian’ beach or have one hell of a good time, but it does mean that it’s a rare time that I am absolutely floored by a beach on the road. I’ve talked in the past about visiting the so-called “Hawaii of Korea”, the tropical island paradise of Hainan in China, and the beaches in Fiji – but my only real brushes with beaches in the United States (Miami, Sanibel Island, Ocean City and Assateague) had so far left with thinking that maybe America just didn’t do beaches. Most tended to be pretty with no surf, with only Assateague really measuring up to the standards I’ve come to expect.

But if California is famous for anything, it’s almost certainly the beaches of the state. On day #1 of Heather and I’s 14 day trek up the west coast and with day #2 already dedicated to visiting California Adventure, we thought it’d be a good day to tackle the task of deciding what the best beach in LA would be.

What Defines a Good Beach?

Everybody is going to have their own opinion on this, but here are my requirements for a good beach.

Surf: We Aussies like our waves. If there isn’t the chance I’ll be thrown around violently, I’m not into it.
Sand: I want to feel sand – not rocks or shells – between my toes. The whiter the better.
Natural Beauty: I want to be able to snap some photos too. Of the scenery, not the girls <_<
Not too crowded

To that end, we woke up bright and early on the first day of our trip and began our search for the best beach in LA.

The Contenders

Google wasn’t a whole lot of help, offering up entirely too many beaches for the title of best beach in Los Angeles. The iconic beaches such as Malibu, Venice, and Laguna were thrown up – as well as lesser lights such as Hermosa, Point Dume, and Leo Carrillo.

With Google not providing us with the answers we sought, we ducked into a little cantina for a late breakfast of tacos and burritos and asked a local what they thought. His nomination for a beach that promised less crowds and more photo opportunities? Leo Carrillo State Beach.

Ninety minutes and one parking ticket later, we’d found what we were looking for.

The Winner: Leo Carrillo Beach

I will be up front and say that Leo Carrillo didn’t meet all of my requirements from above. It had surf of the ‘watch out for big ass rocks if you fall’ variety and wasn’t crowded, but the many rock pools meant that it was definitely not a swimmer’s beach.

Its sand was also scattered with shells and driftwood, so I wouldn’t say it was the best sunbathing beach you could find either.

But as you can hopefully tell from the pictures below, it had natural beauty in spades. Our day at Leo Carrillo wasn’t filled with amazing adventures or particularly memorable hijinx, but damned if it wasn’t a pretty place to snap a few photos.